


Masquerade

by HisAsgardianAngel



Series: Beneath a Moonless Sky Series [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avenger Loki (Marvel), BAMF Hela (Marvel), Babies, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Canon Divergence - Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Canon Divergence - Thor: The Dark World, Dom Loki (Marvel), Domestic Avengers, F/M, How infinity war should have ended, I am out for blood, I will see him ended, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) is Not Amused, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Loki is King, Married Life, No one touches my Loki and lives, Parent Loki (Marvel), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Pre-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pregnant Sex, Sequel, Thanos is a ugly purple grape bastard, Thor - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2019-09-05 23:12:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16820347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HisAsgardianAngel/pseuds/HisAsgardianAngel
Summary: While Asgard prospers under Loki's rule, the Nine Realms fall to chaos. The consequences of Loki's bargain with Thanos span all corners of the galaxy, and it will take more than a little magic to untangle his deceit. With Tony and Lanie investigating rumors of Hydra experimentation, and Thor and Emily searching for the remaining Infinity Stones, all efforts to end Thano's reign of terror before it begins are going full force. Trouble is...it may already be much too late.***BOOK TWO; Sequel to Beneath a Moonless Sky





	1. The Long Road Home

Piercing sapphire eyes bore holes into the horizon as the triumphant king trudged through his war-torn city. There was a fire in his gaze, and the only thing propelling his broken body forward was the promise that was no doubt awaiting him. A promise of love, of family. His stony expression twitched as he caught sight of his destination on the horizon, and the silhouette of his very pregnant wife filled his vision. Her favorite smirk curled around his lips instinctively, and he brushed his sweaty obsidian curls from his face in anxious anticipation. His face was bloodied and bruised, and his armor was torn and dirty, but the look on her face as he approached was priceless. She didn't care what he looked like; he could see that she had missed him terribly, and he opened his arms wide to her with a mischievous grin. "Surprise."

" _Loki_." She whispered his name like it was the very oxygen in her lungs and her body crashed against him instantly as she ran to him. Her fingers curled in his dirty tangles and her tongue ravaged his mouth like it had never been there before. Her small, cold fingers very gingerly brushed the cuts on his face, and a strangled sob broke from her chest. "You're hurt."

Loki frowned at the sight of her tears, though the love and adoration brimming in his eyes never once dimmed. He ebbed the wetness from her pale cheek and lay his forehead against her own. "It will heal, Fair One. It will heal." He smiled once more as his hands cupped her swollen belly, and he felt his second child kick happily against the palm of his hand. "I was frightened I would miss it."

Lanie laughed, threading her fingers with her husbands as she buried her face in his neck. "Unlike Edith, she waited for her daddy."

Loki chuckled, kissing her with six weeks of pint up longing and passion. His entire body and soul had ached for his wife the long while he'd been away, and he had never been surer in the five years that they'd been married that she was the absolute love of his life. His mouth consumed her, grip on her body tightening as he reveled in the sweet taste of she whom he loved more than anything in the nine realms. "She needn't wait much longer. How about I go kiss our princess goodnight, and you meet me in our bedroom, hmm?" His voice was a low rasp, and the loving smile plastered across his face as he kissed her neck filled her heart to its brim. She giggled.

"Go to her, then."

Loki didn't need to be told twice, he had missed his little Edith more than anything in the world. She was his greatest treasure, nothing could have prepared him for the devotion and pure love he'd feel as a father. To watch her grow these five years had been the best years of his life, and it was the very reason he had made the recent elvish attack on Asgard a personal call. He fought with his men, he bled with his men, and all the while had Asgard believing it was because he loved his country, his planet. But Loki only fought for his girls, all three of them, and it was for _them_ and no one else that he would gladly give his life. The elves had made their biggest mistake when they started their war, when they murdered his mother. Asgard ran red with their blood, and in his victory, he had both saved their kingdom and avenged Frigga. No one would touch his wife and daughters the way they had touched her. No one.

Loki bit back tears at the thought of Frigga, and he slowly nudged open Edith's bedroom door. He didn't want to wake her, but her wide brown eyes shot open at the creak of hinges. She had been eagerly awaiting her father's return, and Thor himself had basically had to sit on her to get her in the bed in the first place. "Daddy?"

"I'm here, baby."

Edith shot out of her bed like a bat out of hell, her long black curls flopping into her face as she body slammed her father. Loki couldn't help but laugh, hoisting her into his arms with ease and peppering her tiny face with kisses. "I take it someone missed me?" She burst into gentle tears, and Loki shushed her quietly as he held her tight against his chest. "Come now, let's not do that. I'm home, I'm home."

Her little lips quivered and she sniffled, clinging to his armor as she nuzzled her face into his own black curls. "Promise you won't go back?" Loki's heart clinched around the question, and he bitterly wished for the first time in his life that Thor had been king instead. Edith made him want a little life away from the throne, away from the madness. He wanted to grow old with Lanie and look after their children while she was off being brilliant with Stark. He hated the burden that came with authority to rule.

"I promise. I made it safe for you, and for your mother and your sister. There is no danger now, I can stay. Daddy slayed those monsters." He whispered protectively into her hair, rocking her back and forth in a soothing motion as he did so.

She whimpered. "The ones who killed grandmother?"

Loki's nod was solemn, and a lump caught in his throat. "They're dead."

"Good."

Elsewhere in the castle, Thor and Emily had just finished putting their little ones to bed. Thor's expression was grim and fatalistic and it worried his fiancée considerably. Her grey eyes shone with worry, and she forced him to look at her as she curled into his side on their large maroon bed. "Thor, honey, talk to me. Please?"

"What would you like me to say? My mother's dead, my brother is running the nine realms into absolute destruction, and I fear my father to be on the verge of mental collapse. This family is falling apart."

Emily was quiet for a long moment as she chewed on his words. Thor had taken Frigga's death a lot easier than Loki had, at least publicly, but she knew it was tearing him up inside. What infuriated him more was that his brother seemed to think a very public bloodbath was going to make anything better. The Dark Elves had retreated, but they weren't the only realm on Asgard's doorstep. Loki had fortified and protected the realm thus far, but at what cost? His removal of their soldiers from other realms was a direct withdraw of power and influence from foreign nations and had left them and everyone around them susceptible to open war. Emily had never seen Thor hate his brother as much as he had in the last few months of his reign, and it worried her. She kissed the side of his arm gently and sighed. "Thor, you can't let this fester inside of you. If you have a problem with how your brother is running our kingdom, then tell him so."

Thor sneered. "And risk hurting his precious, fragile feelings? Lanie would have my head."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Now you're just being dramatic. Go to Odin, petition the throne, do something, but don't sit here and toil in your own misery. I love you, this isn't good for you."

Thor's hand snaked around his body to thread his fingers with her own, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Come with me to father. We can be wed, we can petition the crown, rule Asgard together. It's our birthright, not Loki's. He's not even of Asgard."

Emily shot Thor a dirty look. "You don't mean that, he's your brother and you love him." She chided, though she seriously mulled his words over in her head. Something _did_ need to change, Loki couldn't go on like this. No matter how badly she despised the idea of being queen, Asgard was her home. She couldn't watch it be destroyed. "If it comes to that, I will gladly be your queen. But let's try other options first, okay? Didn't you say you were having nightmares about these infinity stones? It's possible that it's them causing the chaos, not Loki. We can look for them. I bet Tony and Steve would help."

Thor finally rolled over to look at Emily, kissing the tip of her nose as he did so. His cerulean eyes were brimming with love as a lopsided smile graced his tired features. It was hard for him to remain angry when she was by his side. "I suppose. If I go off in search of these stones, you'll accompany me? What of our sons?"

"Have a little faith in your father, Thor. He's very good with the boys."

Thor wasn't sure about that, but he trusted Emily's judgement, and kissed the back of her hand. "Then I guess my lady and I are heading out on Avengers business, effective immediately."

Back in the bedroom, Loki had made his way from Edith's bedside down the hall, who was now all tucked in, and closed his door behind him. He wiped the tears from his eyes quickly, though Lanie's eyebrows furrowed as she struggled off the bed and to her feet. "What's wrong?" He didn't respond, and she put his face in her hands, tilting his chin so he was forced to look at her. "Loki."

"I just missed Edith, is all. She reminds me a lot of mother, she has such a warmth and fire to her. Frigga loved her so much."

Lanie's heart broke as he spoke and she pulled him against her chest, threading her fingers through his long black hair. He nuzzled into her neck and she kissed the side of his face tenderly. "I know you miss her. I'm so so sorry, my love."

"I do not just weep for my loss. Edith lost her grandmother, and you lost the only mother you've had since yours died, I know you were close with her. To make matters worse you witnessed it, and I failed you both."

Lanie shook her head. "Don't you dare do that to yourself. It wasn't your fault, the only person that was in that room with her was _me_ and I was useless to do anything." Her voice broke as she spoke and Loki kissed her hard, cupping her belly with his hands as their daughter lightly kicked.

"You are human, and very heavy with child. You're lucky to be alive, there was nothing you could have done. Mark my words I made them pay, and no one is ever harming our family ever again." There was a thinly veiled rage trembling in his voice, and he held her protectively against his body. He had gone to great lengths to protect his girls from Thanos, yet he couldn't even protect them on the home front. What kind of king was he? Their little baby continued her assault against the god's hands, and his smile was bittersweet as he continued. "I just want to love on my princesses. No more of this other nonsense."

Lanie pulled his lips against her own chastely, attempting to kiss all his worries away as she gently shushed him. She backed them up against their bed, tugging on his hair lightly as she did so. She hated for Loki to be sad, he deserved the entire world, and he was such a good husband. "Then come over here and love us." She whispered.

Loki chuckled, his eyes brightening at her words and he recaptured her lips forcefully. Above all else he had missed his Lanie, and if he had his way he would never leave her ever again. He pushed her gently onto her back, straddling her body as his long hunter green cape enveloped them both. His long curls fell into her face and she giggled, brushing them back gently and gazing into those dark blue eyes that she loved more than anything. "I love you so much. I'm so happy that you're home."

The grin that consumed his face was wide and full of mischief, chuckling as he lifted her shirt off over her head. "I'm happy too, Fair One. Home is wherever you are...and that is the only place that I belong." He kissed her until there was no oxygen left in her lungs, and he made a promise to himself in that moment. He was never leaving his family ever again, no matter how long, and if that required giving his crown to Thor after everything he had done to fight for it? So be it. 


	2. A Nightmare on Asgard

Sinewy violet muscles contracted tightly throughout the Titan’s meaty arms as his hands clamped hard around the queen’s stomach. A deep, throaty chuckle permeated the black stillness enveloping Asgard’s once radiant hue and Lanie shuddered around it. Her wrists were bruised as they struggled around their shackles, and the glowing cyan eyes staring straight through her soul had her stunned into a terrified silence. His long, marred and disjointed jaws unhinged, twisting his features into a hideous smile.

“Long I’ve waited to meet Asgard’s precious human queen. I didn’t think a soul in these Nine Realms could ever love your weaseling coward of a husband. You must be a saint.” His thick, fat fingers dug into her sides, poking and prodding at her unborn child in mild curiosity. She spat in his face.

“Fuck you, you cretin.” 

The words barely had time to fall from her lips as Thanos crushed her midsection with one hand, using his free fist to grab hold of her neck. The scream that rang from her chest was bloodcurdling, and there was an audible wet nap of ribs as her stomach became putty in his bare hand. Blood gushed down her legs, tiny mangled pieces of her daughter slipping onto the soiled and blood-soaked marble floor beneath them. Lanie couldn’t even cry, his grip on her throat cutting off all sources of air as she wriggled violently in an attempt to free herself. Thick, hot crimson ran from her nose and her mouth, her dark brown eyes becoming a dead black as clots began to seep from her tear ducts. Her neck finally gave way, shattering like glass in his gauntlet-clad hand as her paling body ceased to move.

Thanos tilted his head to the side, eyeing his work with a dull amusement. “Such a pity, human weakness. I almost expected more of a fight from the whore who tamed Laufey’s bastard.” Lanie’s dark blood oozed half coagulated and congealed into a pool on the floor, filling her husbands’ lungs as he fought to wake from this nightmare. He couldn’t move his body, paralyzed with sleep as the familiar copper taste rose up his throat and into his mouth and nose, bleeding out of every orifice as his body convulsed. He was drowning in the red in his ledger, meeting the end he deserved. His love had slaughtered her, and he hoped he burned in the vilest pit of Hel for ripping the very wings from an angel and dragging her into the Titan’s pit of sadism…into _his_ pit of sadism. He could feel Thanos’s cold and unforgiving eyes on him, as if they could see through every cycle of REM sleep as a portal straight to his soul. He screamed, but there was no sound, and right as his aching body succumbed to the swallowing of his very existence, his favorite voice whispered through his consciousness. “ _Loki!_ ”

The gods body was propelled forward violently upon waking, and he felt warm and loving arms coil tightly against his clammy body. He couldn’t catch his breath, and strangled sobs tangled in his throat as he rode the pure panic clenched tight around his chest.

“Loki! Baby you’re having a nightmare, look at me! You’re safe, you’re okay, talk to me.”

Loki looked on her with a crazed expression, tears streaming down his face in a fit of hysteria. He grabbed her belly roughly and waited for any sign of life as he whispered his daughters name to himself over and over again. _Sigyn, Sigyn, Sigyn…please._ There was a gentle kick to the palm of his hand and he visibly relaxed a little, burying his face into the crook of Lanie’s neck and pulling her on top of him as he continued to cry. “Please tell me you’re alright. D-Did that monster put his hands on you? I will fucking kill him.”

Lanie’s eyebrows furrowed in extreme worry, Loki was _never_ like this. “What monster? You’re scaring me. Please breathe, my love, I’m right here. Sigyn and I are perfectly fine, do you even realize where we are? We are home, in our own bed, and if you don’t stop screaming, you’re going to wake our daughter. I know you wouldn’t want Edith to see you like this.”

Loki’s breathing evened out a bit as he realized she was right, though his grip on her did not loosen. He held her against his body possessively, his fingers caressing her curls rhythmically, obsessively. “He is coming. He looked right at me, at my core. That wasn’t a dream that was a warning.”

Lanie didn’t need to ask, there was only one man in all the Nine Realms her husband feared, and only one man that could mess with his head in such a horrific manner. She sighed deeply, rocking him in her arms as she peppered his face and neck with kisses. “Sweetheart, are you sure you aren’t just experiencing a little PTSD? You’ve been through so much—”

“No,” He cut her off harshly, his voice softening slightly as she flinched at his severe tone. “I was a fool to believe that giving him the stones would keep you safe. He mocks me now, he knows Asgard won’t stand against a direct attack so soon after the war with Svartalfheim.”

His wife recoiled from his embrace instantly, and her eyes narrowed at him. She better have misheard him, her husband had better not be that fucking _stupid_. Loki was a genius, he knew better than to pull a stunt like that. “Excuse me? You better not be talking about the stones that are supposed to be sitting in Asgard’s vault right now.”

Loki was silent for a moment too long and Lanie slid off the bed, swatting at his hands hard as he attempted to pull her back. She smacked him away hard, eyes wide with a raw mix of rage and betrayal. “How could you do that? After everything we have been through as a family, all of us, and after everything you’ve told me about Thanos, how could you stab us all in the back? Stab _me_ in the back?”

“I did it to protect you!” He roared, grabbing a vase off their bedside table and chucking it hard at the wall closest to the bed. It shattered, and his bitter yell seemed to echo in the small room. Tears filled her eyes, and he regretted it immediately, but it was too late to take it back. She clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle a sob, and she ran out of their room and into the darkened hallway. “Lanie, wait!”

Lanie was marching toward the nursery, unsure of where else to go to have a cry in peace, but her husband stormed out after her. He grabbed her wrist hard, and pulled her toward him, though she fought to wiggle out of his grasp. “No! You don’t get to touch me! How could you _lie_ to me? You’ve been lying to me for years! And here I was, stupid enough to believe that Loki silvertongue, trickster god, would lie to anyone’s face but mine, because I was somehow _special.”_ She spat, her words cutting through him like glass. He dropped her arm, frozen in place as he stared at her.

“Is that truly what you think? All these years you’ve been my wife and you think I’d lie to you under any other pretense than to keep you safe? I did what I thought I _must_ , I couldn’t care less if this world burned around me so long as you were untouched, safe from any burden or hardship, or heartache. What else was I supposed to do? I am a bad man, who has done horrible things, and the one thing I wanted to do right was love you, and it seems I fall short even there.”

Lanie’s lips quivered and she had to look away, unable to stand the searing pain smoldering in Loki’s eyes. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. “Loki that isn’t fair. I’m allowed to be angry, you could have told me. I’m not mad that you did it, I’m hurt that you kept it from me.” Her voice was small, and it trembled with shrill cries as her hormones washed over her. She whimpered, and Loki’s dark eyes melted into lapis lazuli pools. He reached to gently tuck a strand of hair beneath her ear as she sniffled.

“I am sorry, Fair One. I did not mean to…please dry your eyes. Your tears wound me.” She allowed him to finally pull her against his chest and he pressed a loving kiss into her hair. “My emotions got the better of me, I didn’t mean to get upset with you. It was unworthy of your husband, and I’ll make it up to you.”

She shook her head against his chest as he held her there, attempting to breathe through the waves of sadness that just wouldn’t leave her. “N-No, I’m sorry. I’m hormonal, I overreacted. I just…I just thought…” She hiccupped, and Loki laughed gently, ebbing her tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

“You just thought I would always keep you in the know, and I didn’t. I was wrong. I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to keep secrets. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy.”

“I know.”

He kissed her gently, swaying with her in his arms as he tenderly nibbled on her bottom lip. “Truce?” A mischievous lopsided grin ghosted across his face, and she couldn’t help the small smile that curled at the corners of her lips. She giggled.

“Truce.” She winced a little as she spoke, her hands rubbing her midsection as Loki’s eyebrows rose in slight alarm.

“Are you feeling alright? I shouldn’t have worked you up.”

“No, love, it’s fine. I’ve been having practice contractions for a few days now, I just need to lie back down.”

Loki nodded, rubbing her arms and pressing their foreheads together. “Of course. Go lay on your left side, and I’ll get you a glass of water. Then we need to talk, okay?” Lanie wasn’t sure that she liked the sound of that, but she didn’t want to argue anymore and she relented. She pecked him tenderly on the lips and waddled off toward their bedroom as her husband disappeared on his way to the kitchen.

The Jotun grabbed a glass and ran it under the faucet for a moment, chewing on his lips as he contemplated his nightmare. Asgard wasn’t safe, he’d been paranoid about that from the beginning, but now he knew. Loki could feel it in his gut, something bad was about to happen, and they didn’t need to be here when it did. He was mulling this over in his head as he numbly shut the water off, bumping into someone from behind him as he turned on his heel.

“What are you doing up so late? You look like you’ve been crying.” It was Emily, and she reached out for Loki’s hand but he moved awkwardly to the side. She blinked at him. “Are you…okay? Did something happen with Lanie and the baby? I can be right there—”

Loki shook his head, rubbing his eyes as if he were tired and taking a small sip from the glass in his hand. “No, sorry, she’s…asleep. I just had a dream about mother, that’s all. I came out here to get some air and some water.”

Emily looked as if she might actually cry and she attempted to pull Loki into a hug. “Aw, honey, it’s okay. I know you miss Frigga, I’ve been in your shoes—” Loki very gently crawled out of reach and shot her a sheepish smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.

“I really need to get back to bed, in case Lanie wakes up. You know how she is, and she might need me in her condition.”

“Oh…I mean, okay…? But um…listen, speaking of Frigga we really do need to talk, your brother thinks—” Loki patted Emily on the head, leaning in to give her a small kiss on the cheek before winking at her with sad, distant eyes.

“We will talk in the morning, darling. Really, I must get to bed.” Emily was baffled by the way he was acting, watching him speed off toward his room like a bat out of hell. He was up to something, that one, either that, or his mother’s death and truly fried his brain. Either way, she was worried, and she walked back toward her own bedroom to wake up her husband. Thor needed to go in there and see his brother…something wasn’t right. 


	3. Take it on the Run

Thor opened his eye and grunted at his fiancée, who was pacing back and forth in mild concern and frustration. A soft chuckle floated from his lips as he watched her, drinking her in. Even worried as she was, she was so beautiful. Her long merlot hair swung gently at her hips, and her pouty lips were tenderly wedged between her teeth. He wanted to bite those lips. The freckles that ghosted her fair complexion caught in the lamplight, and his heart swelled. There wasn’t a maiden in all the Nine that was as gorgeous as his princess.

“What troubles you, my love? My brother behaving strangely should surprise no one at this point.”

Emily sighed. “Thor, there is strange and then there is _strange_. You didn’t speak to him a moment ago, he was completely nervous and out of place. My brother-in-law is many things, but shy and coy with his emotions is certainly not one of them. He’s hiding something…being sneaky.”

Thor laughed aloud. “Loki is _always_ sneaky. One of these days even you will become immune to it.” He propped himself up on his elbow and reached for her with his free arm, pulling her onto the bed and tugging her against his side. She pouted, and he peppered her neck with tender kisses.

“You’re really not concerned?”

Thor brushed her hair from her face and smiled. “What is the worst he could be plotting? Angry with him as I am, Lanie took all the bite out of my brother _years_ ago. I hate the way he is running this kingdom, and I hate even more the arrogance and paranoia that spoils his reign. But a bad king does not a bad man make. He loves his wife and his children more than anything in the entire world, he isn’t the Loki that would scheme and plot and jeopardize those things any longer. He grew.”

Emily pondered his words for a long moment, trailing her hand over the long scar where his right eye used to be. She grimaced. “How many times do I have to remind you to put in the mechanical prosthetic Tony built for you?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I guess you know him better than I do…I just…I don’t know. I’m worried about him. He hasn’t been the same since your mother died. If he full blown self-destructs—”

Thor chuckled. “Oh, he already did that. What do you think this little pissing contest with the Dark Elves has been? Trust his rage, he said. I hope it was worth the blood of our people.” Thor’s tone harshened, and Emily let out a sad whimper. She wrapped her arms around the god’s shoulders and nuzzled her face into his neck.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Emily knew that most of Thor’s grief had turned to resentment toward his brother’s rule, and that was the last thing she wanted to stir in the middle of the night. She supposed she was just going to have to swallow her feelings and trust Loki, something that wasn’t always easy around mischief incarnate. She felt Thor’s large hands tighten against her waist and a flirty smile crept onto her expression.

“If I promise to put in my prosthetic will you kiss me?” Thor asked with a sultry grin, adoring the way Emily’s cheeks reddened from her neck up. All these years and he still had such an affect on her…it drove him wild.

She giggled. “You put in the prosthetic and promise to keep it in, and I’ll give you much more than that.”

Thor’s whole face lit up like a Christmas tree, and he reached for the mechanical eye. It wasn’t the right color—Tony never paid attention to anything that wasn’t himself—but it gave Emily peace of mind, and that was enough for Thor. He popped the brown eye into his socket and grinned at her, watching the loving way her smile curled around her mouth. Two toned eyes were hotter on Thor than she had anticipated, and she’d have to remember to thank Tony later. “Come here.” She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him on top of her, legs coiling around his waist as she planted a firm kiss upon his lips.

Thor moaned. “Yes ma’am.”

Back in their bedroom, Loki had thrown a giant suitcase onto his bed and was frantically filling it while Lanie watched in a pained silence. She didn’t want to fight anymore. She just wanted their lives to go back to normal. Ever since the Dark Elves had murdered Frigga, nothing in Asgard had been the way it was before. Tensions were high, Loki ran off to battle with half of the nations soldiers and forced Thor to stay and protect the homestead. Odin was losing his mind in his own grief, and the entire family was falling to shreds. And now…the love of her life had finally returned to her, only to reveal that he had betrayed them all. She knew his heart was in the right place, that he honestly believed that he had done it for her—but sometimes it was hard for her to reconcile with just how emotionally driven her husband was. The man she loved would doom an entire galaxy just to steal extra moments with her, would start a war with an entire race of people to avenge his mother, would conquer an entire realm because he wasn’t his father’s son. There were no men like her Loki.

She watched him throw piles of clothes and armor into the seemingly bottomless case, his dark blue eyes as tortured and guilty as the day she’d met him. His perfect eyebrows were furrowed in complete anxiety, and she wanted nothing more than to run her fingers through his long black curls. She hummed, a silent tear rolling down her cheek as she fought to find her voice. “Please don’t go.” She whispered, his every movement halting entirely.

“You cannot honestly believe I would go and leave you here.”

“You’ve done it before.”

A deep confusion and hurt filled his eyes, though he didn’t bother to meet her gaze. He had to stay busy, reaching to dump drawers full of her dresses into the suitcase. “If you’re referring to the incident at the bar, if I remember correctly it was _you_ who ran from _me_.”

“And who made sure that I did?”

Loki sighed heavily. “What kind of life have I led that not even my own wife trusts me?”

Lanie rolled her eyes, struggling to sit up and grab for his arm. He didn’t fight it, allowing her to pull him closer to the bed. She took both of his hands gingerly, placing them on either side of her aching and swollen abdomen. “Loki, for better and for worse I married you. I gave birth to your daughter and I willingly tried for and carried your second. If I didn’t trust you with my whole heart, Sigyn would not be alive to be stretching against my insides right now. But I know you. When you get in these guilty moods…you have a tendency to think we are better off without you. There is nothing more terrifying than that. If you ever disappeared, I don’t think I could keep going.” Her voice cracked and understanding flooded his features. He pressed a firm kiss to the center of her forehead, rubbing her belly in soothing circles as he did so.

“Any and all of that kind of mentality died with you. When your heart stopped and you quit breathing in my arms, when Edith was born…Lanie, I had just lost everything. I couldn’t have lived without you even if I had wanted to, my heart couldn’t take it. I would never put you through the same ordeal on purpose. I _will_ be strong enough to protect you while having you by my side, forever. You have my word. Nothing less is unacceptable.” He very gently pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, and she finally tangled her fingers in his gentle waves. His hair was like silk between her fingers, and she nuzzled him sweetly.

“I love you. I promised you in the garden all those years ago that I would follow you to the ends of the galaxy, and I meant it. But where will we go? Where could we possibly hide that is safe from Thanos?”

Loki’s signature grin wrestled with his more somber demeanor, glad that she had asked. Loki did not trust Heimdall as far as he could throw him, never had, and he was not a fool to the notion that Heimdall very much returned the sentiment. He knew that if the gatekeepers all-seeing eyes scoured the galaxy for them for a junky planet of little importance, he’d be the first to inform Thor of their departure and destination. Loki loved his brother and Emily, and his nephews, but they could not follow. He was entrusting the safety of their home and their people to his brother. Thor had always been meant for the throne, and he could protect the Asgardian people in a way that Loki had failed to do. He hoped that no stones on Asgard coupled with his disappearance would leave the planet without a target on its back…his last-ditch effort to protect his own. They were going to have to be sneaky. “I have slipped through Heimdall’s fingers undetected on more than one occasion. There are passageways through the realms that not even father is aware of, and I have found a planet far away from our solar system that should do the trick. It’s not the most stable environment to raise a family in, but it’ll have to do. I have a plan.”

Lanie snickered. “Well that part doesn’t surprise me at least, you always have a plan.”

Loki’s grin only widened, and he grabbed a long green throw blanket off the bed and wrapped her body in it several times. “I know you do not feel well; I will carry you. Let me go wake Edith and pack her belongings, and I’ll carry you both out of here. Tonight, we head for Sakaar.”

After making sure all their belongings were secured and that the new baby’s necessities had been packed, Loki very quietly crept into Edith’s bedroom. He knelt at her side, caressing the side of her face until her little brown eyes fluttered open. The sweet smile that instantly graced her face warmed his heart and he petted her hair softly. “Hey sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy have a little bit of a surprise for you.”

Edith sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She cocked her head to the side curiously. “What kind of a surprise?” Loki sat down at the foot of her bed and thought for a moment.

“We need to pack up your clothes and your toys. Before your sister is born, we want to take you traveling some, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She flailed her little arms around in excitement and squealed.

“You mean like Disney world? Mommy said there is a Disney world on her planet!”

Loki couldn’t help but chuckle, ruffling her tightly woven curls as he did so. “You know, we do owe your mother’s family a visit eventually. But first, Daddy has some important king business he must tend to off planet, and I don’t know how long it will take. I didn’t think you and Mommy would want to stay here so, I’m taking you with me.”

Loki was a little caught off guard as his five-year-old’s eyes welled with tears and she climbed into his lap. She tucked her arms up underneath his and snuggled her face into his chest. “You remembered your promise.” Her words broke his heart, his chest constricting with so much love. Edith had always been attached to his side, they shared a love that he’d never thought possible before becoming a father.

“I would never break a promise to you, Little Love. We will _never_ be apart again.” 


	4. Sakaar

There was mild disgust on the Queen’s face as she glanced about her surroundings in the marbled parlor room. Her husband had ditched his normal black and green armor in favor of a flashy blue and gold and had sauntered off in no particular direction to mingle with other socialites. Her pale pink evening gown was stretched uncomfortably around her bump, and Edith wiggled around in boredom at her side, picking nervously at the hem of her dark green sundress. They sat on a long couch in the center of the room, eyes scanning their company in an uncomfortable silence. Loki was good at charming the pants off strangers—Lanie was not.

This planet…this Sakaar…it was nothing like their home. Not even Midgard was this filthy and twisted. On the outside Sakaar was a literal trash heap, and the people were rotting in poverty and selling themselves into slavery. But If you knew the right people, played the right games, the palace was a safe haven…or, as safe as you were going to get on this wretched planet. Lanie bitterly wished that they had never left Asgard, though she knew that what was done was done. They had abandoned the throne, there was no returning home now. She tried not to be angry with Loki, it was a mistake born of love, and she’d happily share the burden with him. She knew Thanos terrified him, and he couldn’t stand to lose her.

“Mommy…” Edith tugged on Lanie’s hand as she spoke, though her eyes remained glued ahead of her as her tiny fingers pointed across the room. “What…is that?”

Lanie very gently took her daughter’s small hand and brought it to her lips to kiss. “It’s rude to point, baby.” She followed her daughters gaze, eyes widening as she did so. A woman stood across the way, amid all the fancy cocktail dresses and glittering armored soldiers, scantily clad and taller than two Loki’s together. Her skin was a rich and vibrant blue and her eyes a dark crimson. She looked like her wrists were bound, and her long black hair flowed graciously down her back. _That was a Frost Giant._

“Edith, come with me for a minute, okay?” Lanie breathed, forcing herself off the couch with a grunt. Being nine months pregnant was not as graceful as she’d have liked, even for a renegade Queen. Edith slipped her hand obediently within her mother’s grasp and the pair slowly approached the Jotun, who was staring holes into a much smaller man holding a long, intricate rod. He wore blue face paint, and a permanently smug expression seemed etched into his aged features. There was a short armor-clad woman at his side, and her cold dead eyes squinted viciously at the pair.

“Have you come to watch?”

Lanie’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Her dark eyes wandered back over to the poor Giant, who was bound and chained from her neck down. Lanie didn’t respond, confused by the question, and the Jotun turned her head slowly in her direction. She took a long, sharp exhale, and her big red eyes slowly moved from Lanie down to Edith. “You smell of my kind.”

The odd man with the blue tribal paint wrinkled his nose and made a noise in their direction. “Ew. What a way to insult a lady.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and Lanie turned her face away in disgust, though she could feel him stalking toward her. “Pretty lady too; and just who’s baby would this be?”

“None of your business.” She bristled, her blood going cold as he reached out to caress the side of her face.

“Feisty. Hmm. She’ll make fine arm candy to accompany me to the tournament, wouldn’t you say?” He asked, turned back to his female companion with an evil smirk. The short woman returned his grin, and Lanie’s grip on Edith tightened.

“I don’t believe my husband, the _King_ of Asgard, would much care for such a display.” She spat, gritting her teeth as his stupid face shone with more and more amusement. Lanie looked past him, hoping for any sign of Loki, but she had lost him in the crowd ages ago.

“Yeah okay, sure, he’s from ass-a-whatever. Much scared. Shaking. Honestly.” He rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers and gesturing toward the Frost Giant. Lanie and Edith both immediately looked at her, though they wished they hadn’t. The rod in the short woman’s hands lit up and a whirring noise filled the air as a beam was shot in the Jotun’s direction. Edith screamed, and it was all Lanie could do to cover her eyes as the Giant was turned into a puddle of pure goo on the floor. The smell that hit Lanie in the face was awful and she fought the urge to heave violently as the pair before her cackled in unison. “Serves the savage right.”

Tears welled in Lanie’s eyes, frozen in fear although she knew that rationally he could not tell who and what her daughter was. She opened her mouth to say anything, but it was completely dry, and she shut it again. Edith whimpered, and the weird man was about to comment when Loki finally popped in out of nowhere. His face immediately was plastered with concern at the sight of his little girl, but he managed to force a cheerful smile. “Ah, I see you’ve managed to meet my lovely wife and daughter. Edith, Lanie, I’d like you both to meet the Grandmaster.”

Edith wiggled out from underneath Lanie’s grasp and cried out. “D-Daddy!” She flew into hysterics, and Loki immediately rushed to pick her up and cradle her against his chest.

“Shh, it’s okay little love. It’s okay.”

The Grandmaster scratched the back of his head sheepishly and let out an awkward laugh. “Oh, Lackey—was it? Yeah, yeah, I totally wasn’t hitting on your wife, my baaad. Um…and about the kid, she hardly saw anything, I’m sure it’s fine.” He drawled lazily with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“It’s Loki.” He bit back, though he tried his best to hold the polite smile on his face. The Grandmaster wasn’t someone he needed to be enemies with right now. He rocked Edith back and forth soothingly and contemplated his next words very carefully. “We were hoping to stay on planet for a while, looking forward to betting on your Champion. I hope that is alright.” Loki’s tone was strained, as he swallowed back jealousy and anger, but the Grandmaster didn’t seem to notice.

“Perfect! I suspect I’ll be working closely with you then, I’ve already heard a buzz around the room of your magical expertise. Don’t let me down, I’ll be seeing you soon.” The Grandmaster took his female friend by the arm and they waltzed off without a second thought about the woman they had just brutally murdered and left to rot in a pile on the floor. 

Lanie couldn’t handle it anymore, her body beginning to tremble as her chest tightened with sobs. Loki immediately pulled her off to the side where others couldn’t see and engulfed her in a bear hug as best, he could with Edith still bawling into his chest. “Please don’t cry, Fair One. It’s okay, I’m not going to let him hurt you. I would never let _anyone_ hurt you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about. Loki, we can’t stay here. It was a Frost Giant they melted in front of us, and then he called her a racial slur.”

Loki was quiet for a long moment. “Lanie, have you not lived in Asgard long enough now to know that the Frost Giants are not treated kindly anywhere? There is a reason Odin masked Edith’s skin, as much as we didn’t want him to. We have not lied to her about what she is, but we’ve never shown her what she looked like before, and we don’t show anyone. Ever. There’s a reason for that.” His dark blue eyes were forlorn, and the heartbreak she saw there tore at her insides.

“That isn’t right. The Nine Realms are never going to see them as people if don’t do something. You shouldn’t be expected to hide the color of your skin, and neither should our children. There is nothing savage about any of you!” Lanie’s voice was reaching a shrill volume and Loki shushed her gently, pulling her closer to his body as he rested his forehead against her own.

“My darling you know nothing of the Jotun’s. I was raised Asgardian, Edith is being raised Asgardian, the people being raised on Jotunheim—” 

“Don’t know any different.” She interjected angrily. “You’re living breathing proof that their race doesn’t make them who they are, it’s a difference in culture.” She took a deep breath, about to continue her rant before a long hard contraction tore through her body. She cried out, doubling over and grabbing her middle instinctively.

Loki rubbed her abdomen gently and pressed a soft, concerned kiss to her temple. “You need to calm down. Come on, let us retire for the evening.”

Meanwhile, complete and utter chaos had consumed the Asgardian palace. Emily hadn’t been this angry with her fiancé in a _long_ time. She had warned him that something wasn’t right with his brothers’ behavior, but _no_ Loki’s _always_ sneaky he said. In her opinion, abandoning an entire kingdom was a little worse than just sneaky or mischievous. It was treason. Even now, all Thor had to say for himself was that Loki had committed treason on numerous occasions, and that no one should be surprised, he always returns home. When she was queen, she decided, that wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

Emily marched into Odin’s chambers, ready to demand that her marriage to Thor be finalized so they could fix this horrible mess of a planet. Her eyes were blurry she was so angry, and hot tears threatened to roll down her cheeks. She couldn’t tell if she felt more betrayed by Loki or by Lanie, who should have told her the moment Loki started acting like he had lost his mind. Gods only knew where they might have run off to and if they were safe. “Odin I…” She trailed off, raising her eyebrows as she caught sight of what was happening.

Odin was laid back in his bed in a robe, eye closed and breathing slow. Her two sons were sitting on their knees on either side of him, quietly braiding flowers into his beard. It might have been a cute sight if it had been characteristic of Odin, and Emily immediately knew something wasn’t right. “U-Um…All-Father…” There was a long pause before he answered her, and she tucked strawberry blonde tufts of Oliver’s hair behind his ear and adjusted his small black glasses. “Honey, what are you doing with Grandpa, hmm?”

“It’s fuckin’ bad, Mama.” He whispered.

Emily’s eyes widened in horror at her child’s language, and a small pang of guilt hit the bottom of her stomach. The only person he’d have heard that from was her. “Oliver!”

A gentle chuckle finally floated from Odin’s direction, and he patted Oliver on the cheek. “No, you listen to me, Emily, I don’t want anyone else running this Kingdom. I like the boy, Oliver is my heir, my successor. Not Thor, not Loki, not William. Oliver.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “No offense, but my son is just shy of six, and it isn’t really up to you anymore who takes the throne. Odin, Loki has abandoned us.”

Odin snorted. “Oh, big surprise there.”

“Would people stop saying that! Damn it, he is responsible for his actions! Thor and I plan to marry tonight, with or without your blessing, and then Thor is taking back his rightful place as king.” She asserted, stamping her foot as she did so. Odin laughed again, and it only seemed to make her angrier.

“Marry my son whenever you like, no one is stopping you. But if Thor means to take the throne from Loki, he must commit that treason against his brother on his own. You are not wrong that it is no longer up to me; Frigga calls me. My time here is ending. You all will need to do what is best for the kingdom on your own and decide for yourselves what that means.”

Emily’s eyebrows knitted together, and she watched as Odin took both of his grandsons by their hands. “What are you…”

“I love you, my sons. Tell your father and your uncle that I love them too, and please warn them of what is to come, do you understand?”

Emily was lost, but William and Oliver both nodded their dead simultaneously. “Yes, Grandfather. We promise.”

“Odin, you’re scaring me, what the hell are you—” Emily didn’t get to finish her sentence before her father-in-law very slowly evaporated into a thin gold mist. Panic tore through her and she reached for a cup off his bedside table in an attempt at catching the remaining particles. She failed, pulling her children against her chest as they both began to cry softly. How in the world was she supposed to explain this to Thor? 


	5. Ragnarok

Emily ran into her bedroom as fast as her long legs would carry her. She couldn’t breathe, gasping for what little air she could muster as he sobbed hard into her hand. Odin hadn’t always been the nicest, he was a crotchety, grump of an old man…but she knew his words had been sincere. He loved his family, and that very much included the son that had rejected him repeatedly. Her thoughts soured as they lingered on Loki, and she screamed inside her mouth to muffle the rage. He had abandoned her to explain the worst situation imaginable to his brother.

She very gently knocked on the door to their bedroom, whimpering his name as Milo ran circles around her legs and clawed at the wooden barrier. A drunken gurgle was the only response, and she sighed heavily as she forced open the door. Thor was laying on the bed, one blue and one brown eye staring off into space at the ceiling. Several dozen mead horns were scattered around the bed and Emily pinched the bridge of her nose. “Now is not the time for self-destruction, Thor. We need to talk.”

Thor sat up and smiled bittersweetly at his lady. There was so much love in his sad, sad eyes and it pierced her heart. Alcohol never affected Thor too badly, it was more like a sedative than it was anything else, it soothed his stress and anxiety. His gaze was sleepy, and she hated to upset him when he was like this. “Hello beautiful. How did father fair? He’s going to sanction our marriage, right?” He slid off the bed before she could answer and sauntered over to her, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her in for a long kiss. He brushed his nose against hers tenderly. “I know this isn’t how we wanted this to happen, and I know things are going really badly right now. But I want you to know how happy I am that you are to be my wife this night. I would have no other rule beside me and I…I want…” He trailed off, struggling to word what he wanted to say, though she gave him little opportunity to finish. She burst into tears and buried her head into his chest.

“Thor I…I’m so sorry.”

“What on earth have you to be sorry for? What, did father not give his blessing? Because I am well passed asking permission.” He said with a gentle laugh, rubbing her back softly as he did so.

Emily shook her head and gripped Thor tighter against her. “Thor…Odin is….dead. He t-told me that he loved you and that Frigga was calling to him and then he just…turned to mist and I tried to c-catch him but I…” She choked on her own wail and Thor’s body paled in her arms. She looked up at him, heart shattering further at the expression plastered on his face. He had just lost his mother and now…she couldn’t fathom what he must be feeling.

“I will kill him. I swear to you, Emily, my brother is dead to me.”

Even Emily, angry with Loki as she was, softened at his words and she shook her head at him. “Oh, don’t say that. Thor, it’s not his fault—”

Thor laughed, but it was distant and detached. “The hell it isn’t, he should have been here! My father took his dying breath expecting his son to take care of and protect his legacy, and my brother threw it in his face, after all my father did to raise him. He wouldn’t even be alive to be king if we hadn’t taken him in.” He roared, ramming his fist into the wall nearby. Emily flinched, and he caressed the side of her face in apology. “I’m sorry, my love, I don’t know what came over me, I just…”

Emily squeezed him tightly, pressing kisses to his neck as she held him. She ran her fingers through his long blonde tresses and shushed him. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Listen to me, it’s…it’s worse than you realize. Odin warned our sons before he passed of something that is…gonna be hard for you to hear. Why don’t you sit down on the bed with me, and we’ll sort all this out, okay?”

Thor sniffled, fighting to reign in his emotions. She kissed the tears from his cheek and he nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed and pulling her into his lap. “Okay. Start from the beginning.”

Meanwhile, Loki had taken Lanie and Edith back to their new apartment on the outskirts of the Sakaaran palace. It was nice, modern for such a poverty-stricken planet, and Lanie didn’t even want to know what her husband had done to secure this kind of living situation. Lanie was in quite a bit of pain, but she didn’t want Edith to see, so she curled up on the couch and left Loki to put their daughter to bed. She kept hoping and praying that it would go away again, but this felt different. She feared she was in labor.

By the time Loki had come out of Edith’s new room, Lanie had her head between her knees, attempting to breathe through a long contraction. Loki’s eyebrows furrowed, and he thought for a long moment as he rested his hand at the small of her back. He didn’t know what to do. Edith’s birth had gone so terribly, and Tony wasn’t here now to fix it if this went sideways. “Baby we have to take you to a doctor.”

Lanie’s head snapped up and she glared in his direction. “Oh no, we will not be taking me to a doctor. I _had_ a doctor, at home, ready and trained for the moment something happened. A doctor that was sworn to the throne, that I knew I could trust. And now, here I am, on some weird cult planet, that likes to melt the very race of people that I’m carrying inside of me. So, no, Loki, over my cold dead body are we going to any doctor.”

“Darling I know you’re upset, but please. I cannot bear to lose you, you’re all I have. We are all _each other_ has.” He reached for her and she caved, curling into his lap and resting her head against his chest.

“You keep asking me if I trust you. Let me trust you. Please, Loki, I know it would be safe with just you, the circumstances aren’t the same as before. I’ll be okay.”

Loki sighed, tilting her chin to force her to look at him. His eyes were a smoldering sapphire, and he kissed her long and hard. He nibbled on her bottom lip lovingly, and then sat his chin atop her head as he thought. “You better tell me the moment something feels wrong, do you understand? You will see a doctor if this goes bad, do you understand? Can we meet in the middle?”

She didn’t really like the sound of that either, but he was being so patient with her. She was about to comply when he melted her even further. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck and smiled. “Part of trusting me is trusting my judgement, okay?”

She sighed dramatically, but giggled, much to Loki’s relief. “Okay, I think I can do that.”

He chuckled. “Yeah?” He kissed her again, chastely, and massaged her middle with his hands. “Where are we doing this then? Bath or bed?”

Back on Asgard, Thor and Emily were pacing back and forth in Heimdall’s tower, all but having a joint panic attack as Heimdall searched the realms for Loki’s whereabouts. This wedding needed to happen now, and Sif was off searching for Frigga’s old wedding dress, so the ceremony could begin shortly. In the interim, they needed to know where they could find and drag home the rest of their family in preparation for the looming threat that was apparently on the horizon.

“I just don’t understand why he would tell the boys of all people? Of all the people in this family and this kingdom he could tell, and he told my five-year-old twins!” Thor bellowed, throwing his hands up in defeat as he did so. “Where even is this sister of mine? Is she dangerous? Does she pose a threat to the throne?”

Emily shook her head. “None of us know. I guess he was too weak to leave his bed, and the boys were almost always with him, they loved your father. Have you seen signs of anything or anyone strange, Heimdall?”

“One thing at a time, my lady. It would appear that the king—”

“Former king.” Thor corrected viciously, eliciting a snicker from even Heimdall.

“Yes. The _former_ king has found himself in a bit of a predicament. Looks like her former majesty is in labor…on some sort of trash planet? It’s not a place I have seen before, and I sense that it is _very_ far away from here.” Emily clasped her hands over her mouth, a thousand scenarios playing in her mind. Was the baby going to be safe there? Was it a sterile enough environment to give birth in? Would it be a repeat of Edith’s birth? Would either of them even make it? Thor could see the panic settling into her entire body and he shook his head at her.

“They made their choice. They could have birthed a princess right here, with the finest medical care we could offer, and they instead decided to squeeze out a would-have-been-heir on a pile of rubbish. Leave it to Loki to pick the most inopportune time to run away from his problems.”

Emily was about to scold her fiancé for being overly apathetic about the fate of his own niece, when there was a loud whir of noise and a flash of light that shot out from behind them. Thor and Heimdall both paled, and Emily turned around slowly to follow their gaze. There, in almost six feet of glory, stood a slender woman with long black hair. Her eyes were a light but intense blue and a long green cape that resembled Loki’s hung off her bare, slender shoulders. If Thor thought Emily was panicking before, she was _certainly_ panicking now. “W-Who…are you?”

The woman smiled broadly, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she put her hands on her black-clad hips. “My name is Hela. I’m the goddess of death.” 


	6. Love the Way You Lie

Lanie had decided to labor in the bath, and Loki stripped them both down. He turned the lights off and lit some candles, crawling into the tub behind her and leaning her body back against his chest. He pulled a hair tie off his wrist and put her hair up in a bun to keep her from overheating, and his hands trailed lovingly along her stomach as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Is the water too hot? I know you’re sensitive to heat when you’re like this.” He whispered, earning a smile from his wife as she curled her fingers around his own.

“I’m okay baby. As long as you’re right here I’m okay.”

Loki’s eyebrows rose and he pressed a kiss to her neck. “Was that ever in question? I will never be parted from your side. One more war and this is all over; we can run off into the sunset together and live out the next four thousand years surrounded by our daughters. Thanos won’t touch us.” He promised, shushing her as she cried out in pain. She gritted her teeth and shook her head, unsure if even a God could promise such a future.

“Are you so sure hiding is going to save our family? Who knows what kind of destruction he will—ugh!” She bit her own tongue, feeling her child move lower within her body into her birth canal. Loki didn’t want to tell her how much he truly knew, not while she was in such a delicate state. He knew good and well that half of the universe was the price to pay for Thanos’s war…and that there was no guarantee of any of their survival. All he knew to do was pray that either none of them vanished, or all of them did. All Loki had done was buy their family time, prized time he wasn’t going to waste.

“Shh, don’t talk like that. Have you ever known me to fail you? I have failed at many things…being king, being a brother, being a son…but being your husband and the father of your children is one thing I _refuse_ to fail at. I will protect all three of you with my last breath. You’re safe.” Even knowing what he did, he meant every word. They were bringing this baby into a universe that was hostile and cruel, but she was to feel none of it. Even if they were dusted in the end, they would be happy and protected until their last precious breaths. They would die a family. “I love you,” He whispered into her hair. “Please know that.”

Lanie decided to let it go, she didn’t even know why she brought it up. This moment was supposed to be happy, and she attempted with all her might to wish away her anxiety. She smiled. “I love you too. And Loki…” she turned her head to look at him as best she should. “I know that I got upset with you earlier, and I’m uncomfortable being here…but…thank you. You have always done so much to keep me safe and happy, and you’re the best father in the entire world. I should thank you more often for that. You are honestly perfect.”

Loki chuckled, her words relieving so much tension from his body. He could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him, that he made her happy and that she was every bit as in love with him as she had been the day they married, but it was still so reassuring to hear out loud. He craned his neck to the side to kiss her hard, pouring every ounce of affection into it as was physically possible. She groaned into his mouth, squeezing his fingers hard in both pain and pleasure. He held her mid-section, attempting to relieve some of the pressure on her pelvis. “Are you alright, darling?”

“My water broke.” She breathed, letting out a long grunt as her contraction intensified. Loki thought it would frighten him this time around, for her to be in active labor. When her water had broken with Edith, they were laying in rubble from the explosion at Avengers Tower and her body had gone into shock. As they lay there, however, he could feel the steady beat of her heart and the warmth of her body. She was doing perfect, there was no way a repeat of before was on the horizon. Everything would be okay.

“Deep breaths my love. I’m right here, everything is going to be just fine.” Lanie wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince her or himself, but she nodded and buried her face into his neck. She breathed him in, his natural scent of citrus and woodsmoke soothing her nerves as she barred down hard. She could feel Sigyn’s head pressing against her sex and her legs began to tremble.

“Loki!” She shouted, digging her fingernails into the skin of his hand. He let her claw as hard as she needed, petting her hair with his free hand and pressing kisses against her temple.

“Shh, Fair One. You’ll wake Edith.” He soothed, and she quieted as best she could as tears rolled down her cheeks. Tufts of pitch-black hair and blue skin had broken through her folds, and her heavy breathing naturally urged her child’s head into the world.

Loki’s hands shot down immediately to support his baby’s head. “You’re doing wonderful my darling, just a little further.” He sucked and nibbled on her neck, whispering sweet things in her ears to calm her down as she fought to catch her breath. Her body felt like it was on fire, she had forgotten the kind of agony childbirth really was in the five years since she’d had their first.

“Loki I…it hurts.” She whimpered, choking on the scream building in her chest as she felt Sigyn’s tiny body turn on it’s side from within her. Loki remembered what that meant, they were almost there.

“I know it does, Kitten, I know. One more big push, I promise. One more and she’s here in our arms, alright?” Lanie nodded, sobbing into her husband’s chest as she mustered up all her strength against one agonizing contraction. She pushed hard, biting down on Loki’s shoulder as their baby girl’s shoulders finally passed and she slipped into her father’s hands. Loki pulled her up between their legs and laid her on her mother’s chest, his large blue eyes filling with tears. 

She was the perfect mix of the two of them, just like her sister. Where Edith had Lanie’s facial structure and Loki’s features, Sigyn was just the opposite. Lanie brushed her fingertips across her daughter’s cheek in admiration. “Those cheekbones! Certainly borrowed them from Daddy.” They laughed through their tears, peppering each other and their little girl with a shower of kisses. Loki’s skin reverted to a familiar blue and he cradled her, and his blood red eyes filled with guilt as he looked on his newborn’s tiny face. She was so innocent and pure. She was perfect. He didn’t deserve to get to be her father, there was too much red in his ledger. Loki struggled to find his voice, unable to tear his face away from his little one as he spoke to his wife. “Alaine…”

Loki hadn’t called her by her full name in a long time and fear immediately flashed across her face. “It’s okay, Loki. I’m doing fine, I feel strong. You don’t need to worry anymore.”

Loki shook his head, unable and unwilling to meet her gaze. “It’s not that. Lanie I…I don’t want to have secrets between us anymore. No more lies, clean slate, now until forever, okay? A-And I don’t know how long forever is going to be, but I will _never_ break your trust ever again.” Lanie opened her mouth to respond, panic creeping up her spine, but he shook his head at her. He wasn’t finished. “I can’t look at Sigyn and feel the things for you and her and Edith that I do and not tell the complete truth. I wasn’t entirely honest earlier when we left home, when I told you I gave the stones to Thanos. That dream was the icing on the cake, but it wasn’t the only reason we fled in the middle of the night. It was a long time coming, we should have left sooner.”

Lanie’s eyebrows furrowed, and a seed of hope blossomed in her chest for a moment. Maybe Loki hadn’t betrayed them after all? Maybe he lied about giving the stones to Thanos to protect them from something else? “So you didn’t actually—”

“I said I gave Thanos stones. I didn’t say what kind.” Before his wife could respond, a glowing blue cube materialized into Loki’s hand and Lanie was bombarded with a mix of emotions. After everything that had just happened, there it sat in all its glory…the fucking Tesseract.

Lanie didn’t know whether to be overjoyed or livid. On one hand, this was wonderful news. Thanos didn’t have the upper hand anymore, he didn’t already possess a third of the Infinity Stones. But on the other hand…the reason they fled Asgard was now much more dire than she realized. They were blessed that Loki’s scheme had bought them five blissful years…but Thanos wasn’t stupid. When he found out Loki gave him false stones, her husband was as good as dead. They back to square one. She took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her, her lips quivering slightly as she did so. “Five years with me wasn’t worth…Loki he’ll kill you. I can’t…I can’t…” She couldn’t force herself to finish that sentence, and he cut her off with a long, rough kiss.

Loki pressed his forehead against her own and rocked both her and Sigyn gently in his arms. “Five more years with you was worth _everything_. Thanos won’t look for us in this trash pile, this is the ass end of the universe, light years away from Asgard. We must wait it out, my love. This was the only way.”

Her tears spilled over and she gripped his hair tightly as she nuzzled into him. “But the Grandmaster…”

“I am going to _kill_ the Grandmaster.” He promised softly. “Earn his trust, betray him, seize power, and then we can do whatever we want. We can bend this planet to our will, make it a proper home, liberate those in poverty. We can save these people and ourselves. Do you remember, all those years ago, when I told you I wanted to be the hero I was in your eyes? This is my second chance to be that person…and I _can_ do it. All I need is a little faith from the woman I love.” He smiled her favorite smile, the one that crinkled his eyes and dripped with affection.

“Chaos _is_ your field of expertise. If anyone can use it to his advantage, I know its you.” She agreed, drying her tears and capturing his lips once more. “I will _always_ have faith in you. Always. Just promise me you won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t live without you.”

Loki smiled into the kiss, his tongue fighting and winning for dominance as his grip on her tightened. “Believe me, Pet, I know. Do not waste your tears worrying over me. If there is anything I’m better at than mischief, it is self-preservation. I will _never_ not come home to you. This I swear.”

She couldn’t explain why, but she believed him, and it soothed her frazzled nerves like nothing else in the entire world. A bright grin lit her face and it was contagious, Loki’s lopsided smile only widening. “There’s my Lanie.” He cooed, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose and bouncing his baby attentively as she cried out. “I think someone’s getting hungry. How about I cut the cord and we move this to the bed, hmm? We can get warm and bond with Sigyn, and I’ll make you some tea. How does that sound?”

“That sounds perfect sweetheart.” Loki scooped both his girls into his arms with ease and stepped out of the bath. He carried them to the bed and bundled them up, pressing a kiss into Sigyn’s hair and popping off to the kitchen to put the kettle on. Lanie sat alone for a few moments, making sure her daughter latched on properly and settled in for her first feeding. Lanie stroked her tiny face, admiring the cool blue of her skin. She was so beautiful. It was a shame that Emily and Thor weren’t here to meet her…Lanie missed them so much. Hardly any time had passed since they had run from their home, but Emily was her best friend. She closed her eyes, praying that even this far away Heimdall could hear her. _Please tell her I miss her, and that I’m sorry._ She prayed. _Tell her we are okay, and that Sigyn Frigga Lokidottir was born healthy, on April 26 th, and that we love and miss her._

Lanie was lost in these thoughts when her husband returned and handed her a hot cup of Earl Gray—her favorite. “Thank you, baby.”

Loki slipped into the other side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. “Anything for my queen.” His eyes shifted to look on Sigyn, and he reached to hold one of her tiny hands. “How is my princess doing?”

“She’s perfect.” Lanie whispered. “Absolutely perfect.”

Loki’s skin faded to his natural color once more as he touched his little girl, and for the first time in his life he almost wished Odin hadn’t taken his skin color from him and from Edith. He wanted to mirror his family, and suddenly that was far more important than running from the hurt in knowing that he was not Odin’s son. All the family he needed was right in front of him. He was…at peace. “We all are.” He muttered with a small, distant smile. “We all are.” 


	7. Son of Laufey

Heimdall’s head was abuzz with Lanie’s prayers as he stood ready to defend his Realm against the woman that stood before him. He glanced at Emily from his peripheral vision and spoke, though he did not break direct eye contact with the one called Hela. “Lanie says that Sigyn Frigga was born healthy and that she misses you.”

Hela cocked her head to the side at that, her icy blue eyes narrowing thoughtfully at Heimdall. “This child carries Mother’s name? Must be the heir to the current King’s throne. Not that her claim is valid, it is I who am true heir to this kingdom.”

“That is a matter of debate.” Heimdall barked, nudging Emily and Thor toward the door as he drew his sword. “Go to Sif, you know what you need to do. I’ll handle things here.”

Thor and Emily both shook their heads. “Heimdall—”

“I said go! Now!”

Thor and Emily both tore from the tower begrudgingly, running off toward Frigga’s old bed chambers. Sif had everything with her, the dress, the marriage certificate, everything. If they didn’t marry now there was no way in Helheim they had more claim to Asgard than an elder sibling, and from the looks of things, she was going to be a lot more than they bargained for. Emily’s heart was pounding in her chest, terrified to death of what might be happening to their friend. They shouldn’t have left him there alone, but she knew this marriage was important. It was their only chance.

It was as if Thor could sense her anxiety and he reached for her hand. He brought it up to his face to kiss and gave it a firm squeeze. This was so wrong. His heart was both broken and fluttering wildly inside his chest. This was a moment he had dreamed of for so long, but not like this. Thor was so tired. He was tired of politics and war and bloodshed and lies…everything that came with being part of this family. He didn’t want to be Thor, Odin’s son, rightful king of Asgard. He didn’t want to be Thor, God of Thunder, responsible older brother to the bane of Midgard. All he wanted was to be Thor, husband of Emily, father of William and Oliver. He wanted off this miserable planet, he wanted to build a home for his family away from this mess. He wanted kids and a dog, not a throne built on lies and the blood of his people. It wasn’t fair. But often responsibility was not fair, and the worthy did not take the easy way out. He was not, nor would he ever be, his brother. The throne was his burden and his alone to bare, he could see that now. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered. His Emily deserved so much more.

“Please don’t say that. Our wedding is long overdue, maybe this was the push we needed.” She joked, attempting to lighten the severe mood. Thor shot her a half-hearted smile, and it just about killed her. All she wanted was for him to be happy. “Hey,” she whispered. “Just look forward to the consummation, when the dust settles.” She winked, and a ghost of a real smirk briefly flashed across Thor’s face.

It was about that time that they ran into Sif, who pulled them into Frigga’s room and shut and locked the door. Her dark eyes were wild with concern, and she reached for Thor’s hands. “Heimdall will not answer me, tell me he is not slain.”

Thor shook his head, attempting to shake the somber expression creeping onto his face. He was marrying the love of his life. He wanted to be happy. “He will be if we are not swift. Hand me the certificate, help Emily into mothers’ garments.”

Thor’s voice was full of authority and demand, full of urgency. It wasn’t something Emily was used to, and despite the dire circumstances she kind of liked it. She shot him a coy smile, which did not go unnoticed by the god as his childhood friend helped her into her dress. It was old fashioned, and Sif had to lace her up into the corset. She was not gentle. Emily grunted, bristling slightly at being manhandled by a woman that she had never really been fond of, but Thor’s touch soothed her. His smile was sympathetic, and his crystal blue eyes were wide and doting as he looked on her. She looked so beautiful in his mother’s gown. It was almost as if it had been made for her. It was floor-length, and hugged Emily’s perfect curves in all the right places in its mermaid shape. The sleeves were lace and hung off her shoulders slightly, flowing gracefully down to her waist in veil like wisps. “You look ethereal.” He whispered.

Thor reached to gently caress Emily’s cheek with the back of his hand, a tear rolling down his cheek as Sif snapped her fingers in his face. “Earth to Your Majesty, we must hurry.” He frowned deeply, wanting so badly for this moment with her to last forever, but he knew Sif was right. His eyes promised her a do-over, when all was said and done. His queen _would_ have a proper Asgardian ceremony, if it was the last thing he ever did. He had already signed the paper, and he passed it to Emily, who quickly scribbled her name down.

“I love you.” She whispered, largely cut off as he grabbed her face and dipped her backward. He kissed her hard, beard tickling her face as his tongue explored her like he’d never been there before. He kissed her like it was their first, their last…their only. His large muscular arms pressed her tight against the firmness of his chest, and he cradled her as if she were the very beat of his heart.

“I love you too…daughter of Odin.” Emily didn’t expect it, but tears pricked her eyes at the mention of her father-in-law, and she desperately wished he was here right now. She didn’t care what Loki or Lanie thought. Odin had been good to them, and she loved him. Thor’s smile was bittersweet. “Now, let’s go kick my sister’s ass.”

Back in Heimdall’s tower, things had gotten intense. Heimdall’s sword was pressed firmly against Hela’s neck, but her crazed smile never once left her face. She had made no move for a weapon, she only stood there, leering at him. Her feminine hands were planted firmly on her hip, and she cocked her head to the side slowly. “I will ask you one more time to step aside. Asgard is _my_ home, and you are _my_ subject. I do not wish you harm, but do not cross me, Gate Keeper. Long I was imprisoned, and it was not without purpose. You do not want to fight me.” She hissed.

“I think maybe I do. My loyalty is to the throne—”

“ _I AM THE THRONE!”_ She screamed, her voice ricocheting off the golden walls and ringing in Heimdall’s ears. She was a fool, however, if she thought him to be frightened of her. Heimdall had served Odin for many long years, and then served during both of Loki’s reigns. Heimdall feared nothing and no one. When he failed to react, Hela gritted her teeth. Fine. She grabbed the blade at her throat, twisting it effortlessly away from her body and out of Heimdall’s hands. “You want to play, little boy? Fine, I’ll play, but you were _warned_.”  
Hela pulled two long blades seemingly out of nowhere and stalked forward, raising one of them and swinging for Heimdall’s face. There was a loud noise to their left, and suddenly a searing pain shot through Hela’s arm. Her weapon clattered to the floor and she looked down, sharp blue eyes narrowing at the sight. Her arm had been frozen solid from the elbow down and she turned her head slowly toward the door. There Emily stood, dark smirk plastered on her face as she waved her frosty finger tips at her.

“Oh? So, the human thinks herself a sorceress.” Hela’s drawl was unimpressed, but Thor’s face couldn’t have shone with more pride. 

“Make so much as another move. My queen will show you just how powerful a sorceress she is.” Thor warned in a low menacing tone, knowing good and well that Emily had mastered her abilities with Loki and Frigga as her teachers. She had been taught by witches, and her Midgardian blood did very little to stop her from being one of the most formidable warriors in their kingdom. Heimdall made eye contact with Thor and shook his head. It had taken _immense_ strength to rip his sword from his hands as effortlessly as she had, and no matter how well honed her powers had become, she was mortal. Emily had not yet been convinced to eat the fruit of Idunn’s tree, and Hela could slaughter her with ease.

Hela chuckled darkly to herself. “You are telling me that my brother, son of Odin, has taken a Midgardian queen, and father allowed it?”

Thor laughed without a trace of humor. “I’ll do you one better. Our younger brother, former king of this realm, is a Frost Giant, who also ruled alongside a Midgardian.”

Hela scrunched her nose in disgust. “Father would not have bedded one of those savages—”

“Adopted. And he’ll never let you forget it.”

Hela still didn’t look like she believed it, that didn’t sound like the father she had known. Odin would have taken no Jotun into his home without purpose. The child must have been a pawn in a bigger plan. That was almost sad. She huffed in frustration, waving her frozen appendage in front of Emily’s line of vision. “This was truly unnecessary, I hope you know. I have come to bring his kingdom back to its former glory, it is my birthright. I was always intended for the throne, and I can prove it, if you’d allow me to explain. I really don’t want to have to show you why they imprisoned me, I did not come here to fight you.”

Thor snorted. “And do tell us, dear sister, why father locked you away and never spoke of you once to his own sons?”

The goddess got quiet for a moment, looking off into the distance. She shrugged her shoulders, and when she looked back at Thor he could have sworn he saw a tear at her eye. “I cannot speak to why Father never spoke of me. Perhaps he didn’t think I would ever return home and tried to forget. But he is not the one who locked me away.”

Emily and Thor glanced at one another, perplexed, and then over to Heimdall. None of them really knew of what she spoke. She continued. “Our father has a great many enemies, brother. Surely you know that. Things were not always prosperous in the Nine Realms, and father once ruled with an iron fist. I was a very strong child, Odin prized me above all else. We were close. Laufey, King of Jotunheim, knew that. We have always been at war with the Frost Giants, off and on since before I was even born. When I was a mere sixteen winters…Odin took it too far. He and I were happy to spill their blood in droves, and father killed Laufey’s first born. The king was enraged…wanted an eye for an eye, he had said. His wife was well versed in magic, and she cursed me, tied my life to Odin’s. I was to be trapped in the Underworld until the end of Odin’s life, his death being my freedom. They tore from him what he most loved in the world, and perhaps he deserved it.”

Thor was quiet for a long moment, a horror written in his eyes that Emily hadn’t seen in a long time. Her story sounded genuine, he didn’t take her for a liar. “Loki, our brother, is Laufey’s son. He was born small, disfigured for a giant I suppose. Laufey left him for dead during the last Asgardian-Jotun war. Father saved him.”

Hela hummed. That made a little more sense. “The old fool must have been asking for atonement. He probably thought saving and raising the child would unite the kingdoms, prove he didn’t hate the entire despicable race. I actually feel kind of sorry for this Loki.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Don’t. He’s an ass.”

Hela laughed. “Hmm. Maybe I misjudged you. You know if you’d…unfreeze my arm…maybe we could sit and talk this throne business out, hmm?” She asked, waving her arm around again in mild annoyance. Emily looked at Thor, as if asking for the okay, and Thor nodded. He wasn’t sure yet if he could fully trust this sister of his that looked strikingly similar to his brother, but he believed her story, and he wanted to hear her out. It would do them no good to spill more blood, they had lost enough of their family already to this madness. 

“Alright, sister. You’ve got five minutes.” 


	8. Valkyrie

Loki’s long black curls bounced at his shoulders as he swiftly marched down one of the Sakaaran palace’s long corridors. He rocked his sleepy newborn as he did so, who was swaddled up and strapped to his chest. Lanie had been put to work as a mechanic for the Grandmaster’s ships, given her expertise with Stark, and Edith had begun school, so it was just Sigyn and Loki doing the Grandmaster’s bidding most days. Loki didn’t mind, he appreciated time spent with his little girl, who was a clingy baby to begin with. He kissed the top of her head, ruffling her tiny curls as he pushed open the door to the Grandmaster’s quarters.

“Ah! Loki, Tiny Blue, how are you?” He asked with a grandiose gesture and a cheesy, fake smile.

Loki fought the urge to gag. “We are fine, thank you. You requested assistance?” The Grandmaster always had some tongue-in-cheek comment to make about his daughter’s skin color, and Loki had to grin and bear it. 

The Grandmaster seemed to laugh at nothing at all, and it was an aloof, detached sound. Loki took a step back, raising an eyebrow as he watched his companion animatedly talk with his hands. “I need you to round up a list of potential orgy candidates. I like busty red heads and skinny dark haired twinks, have them in my chambers in no less than half an hour.” He demanded coolly, completely serious as he picked at his painted nails as if this were a completely normal conversation to have.

Loki rose an eyebrow as he continued to rock his cooing daughter. “Well. Here is to two-week-old children not being able to speak.”

The Grandmaster rolled his eyes. “Oh, quit being such a dad. Although,” A mischievous glint lit the older mans gaze and Loki coughed in mild discomfort. “If daddy Asgard wanted to join in on the festivities…I wouldn’t mind. Everyone likes a DILF.”

Loki opened his mouth and shut it again, flustered by the Grandmasters ostentatious display of sexual gravitas. The disgust on Loki’s face was probably offensive, and he attempted to play it off as a blush as he cleared his throat and nodded toward the door. “That is a…gracious offer, Sir, but Asgardians are decidedly monogamous so—”

“Oh please, we all know you aren’t Asgardian. Asgardian’s don’t make babies the color of popsicles. So c’mon, get a little dirty like the frost bitten Savage you are.” The Grandmaster wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Loki as bile rose in the back of the Gods throat. Rage burned behind his eyes, though he was rescued from his own vindictive nature as they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

The guest did not wait to be invited, and a tall dark beauty sashayed her way into the Grandmaster’s chambers. Long dark hair was strung from a high ponytail, and the slender woman it belonged to donned a smug smirk. Her deep brown eyes shifted from The Grandmaster to Loki and back with suspicion. From what he could tell, Loki suspected she enjoyed working for this sleaze bag about as much as he did, though her smile only broadened at him. When at last she spoke, it was with a regal arrogance and an accent that was familiar. She sounded Asgardian. “If I am to find more opponents for your Champion I will need a ship. Last time I checked the new girl _still_ had not fixed the broken components on my ship, she’s _slow_ , replace her or replace me, I don’t have all day.”

“My wife could fix ten of your ships in fifteen minutes, she’s talented. However she is still recovering from giving _birth_ so I humbly beg your pardon but she is doing all she can. I assure you, you will not find a better mechanic in all the Nine.” Loki interjected dry, his hands coiling protectively around his newborn has he did so.

The Grandmaster frowned, clicking his tongue at the god in mild annoyance. “Valkyrie has a point, I’m paying her to work not to squirt out half-breed icicle abominations.” His tone was lighthearted but Loki’s heart sank in his chest, a pit of disgust settling at the bottom of his stomach. His jaw clenched, and he wanted so badly to run a dagger through the Grandmaster’s eye socket. His voice shook when he spoke, attempting to reign in his composure before he did something he would regret.

“I will check and see if she is finished with your ship. I am sure you will find her work to be more than satisfactory.” His smile was polite but his tone was vicious, and Valkyrie narrowed her eyes at him as he started toward the door. She grabbed him by the shoulder, a sneer curling at the corner of her mouth.

“No, allow me. You stay here and entertain the Grandmaster, I hear he is _so_ excited to see what a Savage can do in the bed chambers.” She purred, enjoying the sickening green that tinted the Asgardian’s face at her words. She waved at him, sauntering back out of the room and making a b-line for the armory, where Lanie had been working diligently on several ships that had been damaged by the rouge warriors that the Grandmaster employed from all ends of the galaxy to do his bidding.

Lanie was wheeled underneath one such Skrull starship, her hands coiled around one of the Skrullian cores wedged in center. She was welding a bolt to secure the damaged part back into place when she heard someone clear their throat loudly from behind her. Fearing it to be the Grandmaster, she scooted out from underneath the vessel and raised an expectant eyebrow as Valkyrie came into vision. “Yes?”

“You better have my ship ready since you’re working on that heap of junk for Talos.”

Lanie rolled her eyes. Val was always in here drunk looking for her ship, and Lanie bitterly wished the bounty hunter was more careful. She grew weary of her antics, and it was clear that Valkyrie did not care one bit for her husband. “Your ship has been ready for two days actually. It’s in the hangar bay to the left. Maybe if you hadn’t been passed out in the trash piles for thirty-six hours you’d have known that.” She quipped, earning only an eyeroll back from the other woman. 

“Awfully high and mighty for someone who sleeps with Frost Giants.” She shot back without a moment’s thought, clamoring into her ship as Lanie swore under her breath. She watched her take off with a spiteful glare and she turned her back toward the door as she heard someone else approaching.

“Talos please, I can’t handle more people hassling me right now, I’ll be done when I’m done.” Tears pricked her eyes as she spoke, but she soon felt strong arms wrap around her from behind. She smiled, knowing who was there as his sweet scent soothed her frazzled nerves.

“Wrong alien, darling.” He teased, earning a small giggle as she turned around in his arms. Her eyes melted into pools seeing her little girl asleep against the rise and fall of Loki’s chest and she bent down to gently kiss the top of her head.

“What are you doing down here? Has Sigyn been good for daddy?” She cooed, running her fingers lightly through her daughter’s curls. Loki grinned, laying his forehead against Lanie’s own and sighing. He didn’t want to have this conversation. 

“She’s been perfect, as always. But…we need to talk, Fair One.”

Meanwhile, Asgard’s queen was devising a scheme of her own. In the weeks following Hela’s arrival there had been more chaos than ever. The Asgardian people were unwilling to accept the mess Loki’s absence had wrought and no longer trusted the royal family—including their long-lost princess. Hela, true to her word, seemed to earnestly hold the realms best interests at heart, but at the moment that was not enough. Asgard had suffered through a long war with the Dark Elves and had seen the throne change hands at least four times in the last seven years. They were done. None of the peace talks Thor and Hela gave were making any impact, and the people were revolting. They wanted the royal family off of the throne, they wanted to elect their own ruler, and while this sent ripples of panic and discord throughout the castle, Emily had her own plans.

At least of the foreseeable future, Emily Ramsay was queen, and she would not let her only act as ruler of her home be to cower and hide within the palace walls. She was a Midgardian among gods, a sorceress of Jotun power, and of all things an Avenger. She could do this. She ran to Heimdall’s tower and all but kicked down the door. He didn’t need to ask where she wanted to go, and thanks to Lanie’s prayers, he had her exact location. 

“Bring them home, Frost.” He said with a nod of approval, watching as his queen ran toward the end of the Bifrost and was shot unbeknownst to her husband, to perhaps the worst planet on the face of their galaxy. Gods help them all.


End file.
